<div id="readability-page-1"><div> <h2>Key Points</h2><ul><li>Companies like Insteel Industries and Lifetime Brands benefit because they’re less exposed to imports.</li><li>Acushnet Holdings and Duluth Trading Company show that pricing power, sourcing control, and brand strength can offset even heavy cost pressure.</li><li>Some of these names are still small, overlooked, or beaten down, which is exactly why they’re worth a closer look before the narrative shifts.</li><li>10 stocks we like better than Insteel Industries ›</li></ul>The trade landscape in 2025 and 2026 raised costs and rewrote the rulebook for who wins in consumer goods. A baseline 10% tariff on most imports, reciprocal tariffs hitting China as high as 145% at times, and the death of the de minimis loophole have fundamentally changed the competitive math.Granted, tariff conversations and discussions are ongoing, but companies that spent the last decade building lean, China-dependent supply chains are now scrambling. But a handful of less-discussed names have been positioned ahead of all of it. Here are four that deserve a closer look.Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an &#34;Indispensable Monopoly&#34; providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »<img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg2NDk2Ny9nZXR0eWltYWdlcy0yMjA0OTg3OTA3LmpwZyZ3PTcwMA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="700" height="466" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://g.foolcdn.com/image//query-dXJsPWh0dHBzOi8vZy5mb29sY2RuLmNvbS9lZGl0b3JpYWwvaW1hZ2VzLzg2NDk2Ny9nZXR0eWltYWdlcy0yMjA0OTg3OTA3LmpwZyZ3PTcwMA"/>Image source: Getty Images. <h2>1. Insteel Industries is watching imports dry up</h2>There's a sentence buried in Insteel Industries' (NYSE: IIIN) most recentearnings callthat should make investors pause. The company noted that as a result of the Section 232 tariff being expanded to derivative products, &#34;imports have declined precipitously.&#34; Insteel is the largest domestic manufacturer of steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction, and for years, it had to compete against foreign PC strand flooding in at artificially low prices. That structural disadvantage is now gone. Insteel operates almost entirely within the U.S., purchases raw materials domestically, and serves infrastructure and construction markets. These sectors are getting a long tailwind from domestic manufacturing investment. Only about 10% of its revenue touches import-exposed categories. That's the kind of supply chain the current moment was made for. This is a solid investment to consider. <h2>2. Duluth Trading Co. is playing defense with its sourcing</h2>Duluth Trading Co. (NASDAQ: DLTH) just reported one of its quieter-but-more-interesting results in recent memory. Gross margin jumped 890 basis points in its fiscal fourth quarter, and it did so while absorbing more than $7 million in tariff costs. That's not really luck. It's what the company calls its &#34;direct to factory sourcing initiative.&#34; In other words, it's building closer relationships with overseas manufacturers to cut out middlemen and reduce the cost per unit. At the same time, Duluth is leaning into its identity as a brand for what it calls the &#34;Modern, Self-Reliant American,&#34; which, whether you find that marketing compelling or not, is a customer who responds well to functional, durable American-style goods. The stock is small and illiquid, but the operational turnaround here is real. Be wary, the stock has had a great month. I would take a &#34;wait and see&#34; approach when starting investments here.<h2>3. Acushnet Holdings is mitigating tariffs better than almost anyone</h2>Most companies projected tariff costs, only to see those projections blow up. Acushnet Holdings (NYSE: GOLF) is the parent company of Titleist and FootJoy, and did the opposite: It reduced its full-year tariff impact estimate from $75 million to around $35 million through a deliberate set of mitigation actions. The golf market itself has shown resilience, Acushnet continues to grow, and the Titleist brand commands the kind of premium pricing that creates a buffer. The company has been aggressively buying back shares and maintaining its dividend. For an investor who wants tariff exposure in a sector nobody is writing about, this is an unusual combination of pricing power and supply chain sophistication.<h2>4. Lifetime Brands built its own factory in Mexico</h2>Before &#34;nearshoring&#34; was a financial media buzzword, Lifetime Brands (NASDAQ: LCUT) acquired manufacturing operations in Mexico and built out its own plastics production facility. By the end of 2025, the company expected roughly 80% of its production to be sourced outside China. The housewares space is getting squeezed, and Lifetime's stock has struggled. But the company has consistently paid dividends for 15 years, carries a current ratio of over 2 times, and is one of the few in its category that physically controls a nearshore manufacturing operation. The question is whether it executes cleanly into 2026. With the ticker being this low and the market cap dropping this spring, it's a safe time to consider buying.<h2>Should you buy stock in Insteel Industries right now?</h2> Before you buy stock in Insteel Industries, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Insteel Industries wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $581,304!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,215,992!* Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,016% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 197% for the S&amp;P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of April 17, 2026. Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Acushnet. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc. </div></div>

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Tariffs are reshaping the retail landscape, benefiting companies like Insteel Industries and Lifetime Brands due to reduced import exposure. Acushnet Holdings and Duluth Trading Company leverage pricing power and sourcing control to mitigate cost pressures. The trade environment has changed significantly, with tariffs impacting competitive dynamics. Insteel, primarily U.S.-based, is well-positioned as imports decline. Duluth's sourcing strategy has improved margins despite tariff costs. Acushnet has effectively reduced its tariff impact, while Lifetime Brands has established manufacturing in Mexico to reduce reliance on China. These companies are worth considering for investment as the market evolves.

Tariffs Are Reshaping Retail. These 4 Stocks Are Positioned to Win.